The present disclosure relates to peritoneal dialysis treatment. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods of enabling convenient and inexpensive peritoneal dialysis treatment for multiple patients in a single location.
Many people suffer from renal disease, in which the kidneys do not adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood. When kidney failure occurs, water and minerals become unbalanced in blood and tissues, and toxic end products of nitrogen metabolism (e.g., urea, creatinine, uric acid and others) can accumulate. A person with failed kidneys cannot continue to live without replacing at least the filtration functions of the kidneys.
Different forms of dialysis treatment are used to treat patients suffering from renal disease. One form of dialysis treatment is hemodialysis, in which the patient's blood is passed through an artificial kidney dialysis machine and cleansed before reentering the patient. Because hemodialysis is an extracorporeal procedure, there are certain limitations associated with the treatment. For example, treatment typically lasts several hours and is generally performed in a treatment center about three times per week.
A second form of dialysis treatment is peritoneal dialysis, in which the patient's own peritoneum is used as a semi-permeable membrane rather than an artificial kidney. One advantage to peritoneal dialysis is that patients can undertake treatment at home instead of visiting a medical facility or utilizing costly equipment associated with hemodialysis treatment.
When a patient undergoes peritoneal dialysis treatment, a dialysis solution is periodically infused into the peritoneum through an implanted catheter. Diffusion and osmosis exchanges take place between the dialysis solution and the bloodstream across the natural body membranes, which remove the water, toxins and waste products that the kidneys normally excrete. After a period of time, the used dialysis solution is drained from the peritoneum and replaced with fresh fluid. The period of time that the dialysis solution remains in the patient's peritoneum is referred to as the dwell time.
There are generally two types of peritoneal dialysis treatment: automated peritoneal dialysis (“APD”) and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (“CAPD”). APD uses a dialysis machine to drain, fill and dwell dialysis solution from the peritoneum through an implanted catheter. Several drain, fill, and dwell cycles normally occur while the patient is connected to the dialysis machine. The main advantage of APD is that it is hands-free regarding the patient and can therefore be performed at night while the patient is asleep, freeing the patient during the day.
With CAPD, a dialysis solution is manually introduced into the peritoneum through an implanted catheter. During the dwell time, an exchange of solutes between the dialysis solution and the blood is achieved. Once this exchange is achieved, the patient manually drains the dialysis solution from the peritoneum and manually replaces the drained solution with fresh fluid. This process is repeated per a doctor's prescription. One advantage to CAPD is that patients do not need a machine as gravity is used to fill and drain the patient.
Regardless of whether the patient performs APD or CAPD, the patient's prescription may call for a midday exchange. During a midday exchange, the patient drains used dialysate from the patient's peritoneum and fills the peritoneum with a fresh supply of dialysate. The midday exchange can be cumbersome especially for a patient at work. If the patient cannot return home, then the patient has to find a place at work to perform the procedure. The solution and disposables needed to perform the procedure also need to be available at work. The transfer and storage of the materials and the procedure may be awkward or embarrassing for the patient.
A need exists accordingly for an improved peritoneal dialysis treatment, especially for single exchanges, such as midday exchanges.